Leadership and Advocacy in Educational Endeavors

TEL 410

Lesson 1: Advocacy and Leadership

Assignment: Community Needs Assessment
Points Available: 60 Points

For this assignment you will be conducting a Community Needs Assessment. During
this assignment you will

● Step #1: Brainstorm a list of educational issues/concerns in your community.

● Step #2: Then you will select three issues from your list to analyze further.
● Step #3: After you select your three issues, answer the following questions for
each issue. Strong academic writing is expected. Please use APA Formatting
where appropriate.
○ What is the effect of the issue in my community?
○ What does this mean to my local school, school district, and students?
○ What is the cost of not doing anything on this issue?
○ What possible actions can be taken? What are the consequences of these
actions?
○ Who else cares about this issue in my community?
○ Research one organization that is currently advocating for this education
issue. Summarize the organization’s goals, mission, and the type of
advocacy opportunities the organization provides.
● Step#4: After you have analyzed your three issues (Step #3) Please select one
issue that you are most passionate about to engage in an advocacy project for
this semester. You will need to determine if it is the right and most effective
cause for you to engage in.
● Step#5: Please include your references in APA format.

Attached is a sample template that you can use to complete your work. Be sure to
include references you use to answer the questions.
 Community Needs Assessment
TEL 410
Your Name

Step #1: Brainstorm a list of educational issues and concerns that exist in your
community.

1. Opportunity Gaps of accessing 6. Students and Teachers’ Health

internet, technology, and other Issues during the ongoing COVID-19
educational resources pandemic

2. Lack of Parental Help due to Food 7. Children living in poverty and

and Housing Insecurity homeless children

3. K-12 Funding in the state 8. Lack of Child Care Services

4. Low Pay for High School Teachers 9. Low Reading and Math Proficiency
of Primary Schoolers

5. Low Achievement in Lower- 10. Career and Technical Education

Performing Schools Programs

Step #2: Choose three areas (from the list above) in which you think you can make a
difference in the next few weeks.

1. Students and Teachers’ Health Issues during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

2. Children living in poverty and homeless children

3. Low Reading and Math Proficiency of Primary Schoolers

Step #3: After you select your three issues, answer the following questions for each
issue. Strong academic writing is expected. Please use APA Formatting where
appropriate.

○ What is the effect of the issue in my community?

○ What does this mean to my local school, school district, and students?
○ What is the cost of not doing anything on this issue?
○ What possible actions can be taken? What are the consequences of these
actions?
○ Who else cares about this issue in my community?
○ Research one organization that is currently advocating for this education
issue. Summarize the organization’s goals, mission, and the type of
advocacy opportunities the organization provides.

Issue #1: Students and Teachers’ Health Issues during the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic

The effect of this issue in my community is a safety hazard for students, teachers,
school staff, and their families by affecting both mental and physical health. This means
that students’ and teachers’ health issues during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic can
be a big obstacle for my local schools, school district, and students and their families to
create a safe educational environment for students and staff. The cost of not doing
anything on this issue will be exposing all students and teachers to the dangerous virus
and causing an increase in COVID-19 transmission among children, teens, staff, and
their families. For example, “schools without mask mandates are twice as likely to have
an outbreak” (Christie, 2021).

To best serve students, schools need to expand health services to deliver care to
children and manage transmission among students, staff, teachers, and parents. The
possible actions that can be taken are providing and updating clear information to
families as early as possible that includes changes made at schools, specific
expectations for families, upcoming plans, and long-term plans, providing health-care
and self-care resources and advice to students and educators (7 School Reopening Tips
For Teachers During COVID-19, 2021), and creating virtual tours and virtual connections
with parents (Helping Children Transition Back to School, 2021). The consequences of
these actions are that parents and students can find timely protections against virus
mutation and can take care of themselves with the help of useful resources.

In addition to local schools, students, parents, and educators, education agencies, as

well as the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Department of Health
Services, care about this issue in my community. An organization that is currently
advocating for this education issue is called Tempe Union High School District that they
released three grants, known as ESSER I, ESSER II, and ESSER III, and partnered with
ENGAGE Arizona to provide assistance to schools and families disrupted by the COVID-
19 pandemic (Federal Grants (ESSERIII)/Federal Grants, n.d.). Their recent goal is to
address students’ academic needs and the social, emotional, and mental health of
students and staff during the pandemic. They have a lot of workshops that we can
participate in to share our ideas to improve high school policies and services.

Issue#2: Children living in poverty and homeless children

The effect of this issue in my community is that 24% of Arizona children living in poverty
are facing struggles in educational attainment that most of them are not proficient in
reading and math, especially minority communities, including African-American and
Indian communities (Megan Janetsky, The Arizona Republic, 2018). This means that a
large number of low-income students and their families need help with education and
public schools need to make more educational resources and services accessible to
them. The cost of not doing anything on this issue would be the neglect of
underprivileged teenagers and children, leading to “a Broken Social Elevator, which is
the vicious confluence of poor educational opportunities, low skills and limited
employment prospects” (A Broken Social Elevator? How to Promote Social Mobility,
2018) in my community.

Possible actions to address this issue are developing no-cost education strategies,
holding donation campaigns, finding effective and inexpensive education services for
parents, donating daily necessities to increase the lives of these children, and offering
emotional learning chances. The consequences of these actions are that students from
low-income families can receive financial aid and support from the community and
access to more learning opportunities and educational resources.

The institutions and agencies offered shelter services, housing services, programs for
children and teens, mental health services, low-cost health insurance and counseling,
financial assistance services and food banks care about this issue in my community.
Child Crisis Arizona is currently advocating for this education issue that their mission is
to help those vulnerable children and youth from crisis threats of abuse and neglect.
They provide emergency children’s shelter, counseling and early education services, and
no-cost parenting classes and workshops (Who We Are | Child Crisis Arizona | Safe
Kids, Strong Families, 2021). We can do volunteer work in their emergency children’s
shelter to provide comfort, care, and support for children ages 10-18.

Issue #3: Low Reading and Math Proficiency of Primary Schoolers

According to Cronkite News, “Math and reading test scores for Arizona’s fourth- and
eighth-grade students fell below their peers nationally in 2017” (Schultz, 2018). That
means that high school coursework can be difficult for these students. Without services
or programs to help these students improve their math and reading skills, they are more
likely to drop out of high school.

The possible actions to increase fourth- and eighth-grade students’ reading and math
proficiency are creating a partnership climate, initiating inexpensive learning services
and programs, volunteering in tutoring services, and planning fun and interesting
learning activities. The consequences of these actions are that more students have
access to targeted services, and educators can engage them in learning math and
reading.

Arizona State University cares about this issue as they provide America Reads
programs to provide educational resources for K-8 children. They match children from
low-income families with an ASU student as their tutors or mentors (America Reads |
ASU University Service-Learning, n.d.). ASU students can volunteer in tutoring these
children to improve their reading skills and math skills.

Step#4: After you have analyzed your three issues (Step #3) Please select one issue
that you are most passionate about to engage in an advocacy project for this
semester. You will need to determine if it is the right and most effective cause for you
to engage in.

The issue I plan to advocate for this semester is Students and Teachers’ Health Issues
during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Step#5: References

7 School Reopening Tips For Teachers During COVID-19. (2021, August 17). Anxiety

Canada. https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/7-tips-for-educators-returning-to-

school-during-covid-19/

Helping children transition back to school. (2021, September 23). Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/COVID-19-

helping-children-transition-back-to-school.html

Federal Grants(ESSERIII)/Federal Grants. (n.d.). TUHSD. Retrieved September 30,

2021, from https://www.tempeunion.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=4457

Megan Janetsky, The Arizona Republic. (2018, June 28). 1 in 4 Arizona children live in

poverty, national KidsCount report shows. The Republic | Azcentral.Com.

https://eu.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2018/06/28/arizona-children-live-

poverty-kidscount-report-shows-education-minority/735752002/

A Broken Social Elevator? How to Promote Social Mobility. (2018, June 15). OECD.

https://www.oecd.org/social/soc/Social-mobility-2018-Overview-MainFindings.pdf

Who We Are | Child Crisis Arizona | Safe Kids, Strong Families. (2021, August 30).

Child Crisis. https://childcrisisaz.org/who-we-are/

Schultz, K. (2018, April 11). Arizona fourth- and eighth-graders trail U.S. on math,

reading scores. Cronkite News - Arizona PBS.

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2018/04/10/arizona-fourth-and-eighth-graders-trail-u-s-

on-math-reading-scores/

America Reads | ASU University Service-Learning. (n.d.). Arizona State University.

https://communityengagement.education.asu.edu/programs/america-reads
 Leadership and Advocacy in Educational Endeavors
TEL 410

Lesson 1: Advocacy and Leadership

Rubric Community Needs Assessment
Points Available: 60 Points

Fully Developed Developing Absent

7-10 points 5 - 6 points 0 - 4 points

10 issues and 9-7 issues and 0-6 Issues and

Step #1: Brainstorm concerns are listed. concerns are listed. concerns are listed.
a list of educational
issues/concerns in
your community.

Fully Developed Developing Absent

5 points 2 point 0-1 points

3 Issues are 2 Issues are 1 Issue is identified

Step #2: Then you identified from the identified from the from the brainstorm
will select three brainstorm list. brainstorm list. list.

issues from your

list to analyze
further.

Fully Developed Developing Absent

9 -13 points 5 - 8 points 0 - 4 points
Step #3: Analysis of Analysis of each Analysis of each Analysis of each
Advocacy issue is complete with issue is complete with issue is not complete
Issues/Concerns #1 answers to each of answers to 5 and/or
the 6 or 4 of the reflection includes answers to 3
reflection questions. questions. questions or less.

Step #3: Analysis of Analysis of each Analysis of each Analysis of each

Advocacy issue is complete with issue is complete with issue is not complete
Issues/Concerns #2 answers to each of answers to 5 and/or
the 6 or 4 of the reflection includes answers to 3
reflection questions. questions. questions or less.

Step #3: Analysis of Analysis of each Analysis of each Analysis of each

Advocacy issue is complete with issue is complete with issue is not complete
Issues/Concerns #3 answers to each of answers to 5 and/or
the 6 or 4 of the reflection includes answers to 3
reflection questions. questions. questions or less.

Fully Developed Developing Absent

3 points 1 point 0 points

Step #4: Advocacy focus is Advocacy focus is Advocacy focus is not

Identification of identified and identified identified.
Advocacy Focus connected to a but is not connected
current education to a
concern/issue. education
concern/issue.

All references are Some of the References are not

Step #5: included and in APA references are included.
References format. included and in APA
format.